Having taken plenty of Cisco exams at various approved Pearson VUE testing centers, it was definitely an eye-opening experience to set up my own "testing area" at home when I took the CMSS. I won't repeat most of what's already been said here by @PhilipDAth and @billyzoellers but I wanted to say that every person's experience will vary depending on the proctor that is assigned to you. Mine took a full 15-20 minutes to validate the photos of my testing area while I sat still without anything to distract me with - no coffee, no phone, no music, and couldn't even stand up to stretch my legs as I had to keep my face within the video camera. The VUE software also triggered my anti-virus a few times with a very loud system chime, which didn't trigger the proctor. However, talking out loud to myself (it's a nervous tick of mine) DID trigger the proctor and he asked me to stay silent. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinions about what's acceptable in terms of privacy, security, and confidentiality. But I think during this period of time as the global pandemic is still on-going and possibly into the future - we are all adjusting to keep the wheels going. I don't think it's reasonable to stop offering certifications altogether especially since there are plenty of people that need to meet certain recertification deadlines. But we all agree that clearly there's a lot of improvements that can be made to Pearson VUE's method of facilitating and proctoring these exams. A question more directed at @PhilipDAth as I'm curious about your opinion: what do you believe would've been the right course of action by Cisco Meraki at the launch of this exam? Would it be to withhold the launching of the exam until it can be taken in the traditional format (in-person)? Where it is possible and allowed, this ECMS exam can be taken in a traditional setting. A team member of mine in Japan visited a VUE testing center and completed the exam in person. The concerns and objections with the potential security vulnerabilities and identity risk surely can be applied to the entire portfolio of Cisco exams (really any VUE offered exams). My final thought: the CMSS certification follows and abides by the rules and processes that have been implemented & regulated by the Cisco Certification team, who jointly works together to approve of Pearson VUE's testing practices & policies. I don't think there was much Cisco Meraki could've done to request that this certification was proctored differently from all other Cisco specialist certifications...
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